Pipe intended to carry fluids under substantial pressure, especially oil well pipe and tubing, needs periodically to be tested to determine its integrity. The conventional way of accomplishing this is to fill the pipe with water under pressure and observe its ability to retain the pressure for a period of time. An example of one such device is shown in Horton U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,628, issued Jan. 16, 1973.
Pipes must be tested in relatively large quantities, and especially oil field pipe and tubing are heavy, bulky, and clumsy to handle. The inspection technique is apt to be labor-intensive, and it is therefore important to provide a tester which obtains maximum productivity from the crew no matter how many men are required to operate the device. It is an object of this invention to provide a pressure tester which can accurately and reliably test a pipe for integrity under pressure, which minimizes the physical exertion of the men who operate it, and maximizes their output.